If You Eat That Sort of Thing
by InvisibleSpork
Summary: How did Steve know where Sam lived? Easy. He'd already been there on a date.


Inspired by tumblr post invisiblespork . tumblr post / 90363378954 / fuckyeahdiomedes-if-you-guys-eat-that-sort-of

It was after Steve had come to visit Sam at the VA. No matter how genuine Sam had seemed at the national mall, Steve had expected to be subjected to the usual round of autographs and pictures. He was surprised when Sam ushered him past the front desk with nothing more than a few handshakes and a teasingly obnoxious statement that he was "ditching you losers to hang out with Captain America." He guessed he should've expected that treatment from the meeting he'd just heard. These people knew what it was like to come back from a war, to lose a partner, a friend; knew that no amount of celebrity could soften or change that experience.

"So hey, man, what else you got on that list of yours?" Sam asked, squinting against the sunlight reflected off the asphalt.

Steve pulled out his booklet and started reciting, "Steve Jobs, disco, Thai food, Star Wars? Or Star Trek? I'm not sure, I think they're two different…" Steve looked up. Sam had placed a hand on his arm and stopped walking.

"Steve. No, Steve. You've been out what, two years? And no one has made you watch Star Wars?" Sam's grip suddenly tightened. "Then you don't know!" Steve's skin felt warm where Sam's hand was resting on his arm. Should he even be able to feel that through his jacket? "That's settles it, then. Do you have plans?" No he was probably just imagining it.

"Plans?" Steve tried to direct his mind back to the subject at hand.

"Yeah, not like Star-Spangled Man with a Plan type of plans. Just regular plans."

"Oh no, I _never _have plans." Steve winced the moment the words left his mouth. "I mean, not that I don't ever do anything, I just…" he trailed off with a defeated sigh, bringing a hand up to rub his forehead as Sam laughed. "I'm usually free."

"I'm gonna let that one go because you're new and I'm nice like that, but I'm not kidding. Cancel those plans you never have, you're coming home with me. I have the box set of the original trilogy, un-remastered the way God intended." He leaned forward and dropped his voice. "Han shot first."

"I don't know what that means," Steve whispered back.

"You will. Here, give me your phone." Only when Sam stepped back did Steve realize he'd unconsciously been leaning into Sam, mirroring his posture. He quickly straightened and pulled out his phone, unlocking it before Sam grabbed it from him. "Okay, this is the address. You can use your GPS or just follow me out of the lot. I'll be the black sedan," he said as he handed the phone back, fingers brushing Steve's.

Somewhat dazed, Steve walked to his own car and rested his face on the hot steering wheel. What was he doing? Was this something normal people did nowadays, go to a near-stranger's house and watch movies? Sam had been nothing but charm and charisma wrapped in such a disconcertingly attractive package that Steve hadn't even thought to question it until now. Was there suppose to be some sort of waiting period before you go home with someone? Oh god, was this a date? It felt a lot like a date. He'd never been good at dates, what if he was misinterpreting? How do you even ask that sort of thing? Maybe Sam was already in a relationship. _Hi sugar, are you rationed?_ a voice laughed in his head. It sounded a lot like Bucky. Oh, this was going to be a disaster.

It was somehow not a disaster. When he got to the listed address, Sam greeted him just as warm and easy as he'd been at the mall and at the VA, friendly enough to dispel even Steve's super-serumed awkwardness. He kept up his teasing, quick but never mean, while they made popcorn and put in the movie. Steve was transfixed from the first trumpet blare as he watched the opening titles scrolled up the screen, model spaceships battling each other, and twin suns setting over desert sands. Sam paused the movie after the cantina scene, leaning in with his arm slung around the back of the sofa to earnestly explain how "Lucas's changes undermined Han's character, he knew Greedo was a bounty hunter after his head, Han wouldn't pull some dumbass move and just sit there are wait to be shot!" Steve laughed, though he hadn't yet seen enough of the character to really appreciate the difference. But Sam obviously had very strong opinions so Steve agreed when prompted, enjoying his enthusiasm. Satisfied, Sam pressed play and they turned back to the movie.

Sam hadn't moved his arm back. His hand was still sitting right behind Steve's neck. This time Steve knew his wasn't imagining the heat as the hairs on the back of his neck prickled at the proximity. _Just put your arm around the seat behind her, Steve. Not around her, mind, let her decide if she wants to lean back,_ Bucky's instructions came to him from the other side of 70 years, not that Steve had ever really had occasion to use this advice. Was Sam doing this on purpose? Steve could lean back, but would that be weird? Was it already weird? It felt weird. Was he _making _it weird? He certainly wasn't going to move away. He finally settled for slowly _slowly _sitting back, hoping it would be gradual enough Sam wouldn't notice. No such luck, but all Sam did was grin at the screen and tap the back of Steve's neck a few times with his thumb.

"Ah man," Sam said as they watched Luke maneuver his x-wing, "what I wouldn't give to fly one of those babies."

"You know you'd be a flying flapjack trying to turn that quickly, right?"

"There's a bunch of aliens flying around in space, killing people with their minds, playing with laser swords and a giant planet destroying space station, and the part you're stuck on is that they're pulling too many g's?"

"Well, to be honest I woke up 70 years in the future to aliens invading New York through a giant wormhole in the sky, so yeah. The rest of those actually don't sound too far-fetched."

"Steve, man - ," Sam stopped. "Okay that's actually a good point. Damn," he laughed as he leaned back in his seat, legs spreading so their knees touched. No, there was no way he was misinterpreting this. This was a date. Definitely. It was very date-like. And against all odds, it seemed to actually be going well, but Steve couldn't stop the sudden dampness that sprang up in his palms.

Sam turned to him as the movie ended, but anything he might have said was cut off when Steve's stomach growled. Not even a regular growl. The long, loud ones that only seem to happen in the dead silence of a crowded room. Of course. Might as well just completely break the illusion that Steve was anything but a giant embarrassment.

Sam, bless him, just looked at the clock. "It's later than I thought. You wanna grab some dinner? I know a good Thai place nearby, if you want to scratch another line off your list. Though I draw the line at disco." Sam wiggled in his seat and did that strange movement with his arms that everyone seems to identify with disco. And Steve needed to leave _immediately _because no one should look that good while also looking that ridiculous and he was going to do something stupid like try to kiss him, and this was crazy he barely even knew the man.

"I don't eat," he blurted out, immediately regretting it.

"You don't…eat," Sam repeated slowly.

"I mean, like a normal person. The serum…" he trailed off. This was terrible, what were these words coming out of his mouth? "I'm just not ready for Thai food," he finished lamely.

"Okay?" Sam said, confused but thankfully still smiling. "_Oh_. Okay, man. Now I don't think I was, but I gotta ask. Have I been misinterpreting?"

"No. _No_. Definitely not. I mean, it's been a while since I've eaten. _Anything_, not just Thai food. Well, I've never _had _Thai food before. I just, maybe once I got more _familiar _with the Thai food…" Steve winced, slowly turning a deep, devastating red. _You just can't win for losing, can you, pal?_

"Hey, you're not ready for Thai food, that's fine. You gotta go your own pace, man. C'mon," he said hauling himself up from the couch. "Let me see you out." Sam kept a hand on his lower back as they walked to the door, but Steve found his nerves had finally settled now that he knew there was no pressure. And if Steve let his hand linger on Sam's shoulder a little too long as he thanked him for his hospitality, well, it certainly didn't look like Sam minded.

"Hey so…I mean…there's a," Steve took a breath. _Use your words,_ Bucky chided. "Would you like to get lunch sometime? With me?"

Sam gave him a slow smile. "Yeah, I know a place that makes the best burgers you've ever tasted. You know, if you eat that sort of thing." Steve smiled back, a little lopsided. "Plus we still have two movies left, and I want to see your face during _Empire_. And hey, if you decide you want Thai food we can try it some other time." He watched as Steve walked to his car, smile still warm. "My number's in your phone."


End file.
